1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to polyethylene-containing resins, in particular to a caulking composition and to methods of its use.
2. Brief Statement of the Prior Art
Molded polyethylene parts frequently require repair or modification after their manufacture. As an example, large, hollow-form parts which are manufactured by rotational molding are formed with vent holes to permit escape of vapors during the molding cycle and these vents must be closed after the part has been formed. Instances of repair occur when a part, such as a tank, has been damaged by a crease or perforation in its wall. Polyethylene surfaces, however, reject most adhesives and the repair and modification of molded polyethylene parts is commonly practiced with flame or high temperature plastic welding, which often weakens or damages the parts.
Rotational molding is commonly used to manufacture hollow-form plastic parts such as outdoor signs, tanks and containers using molds which are subjected to repeated thermal cycling and heavy usage which frequently distorts the sealing flanges of the molds, causing them to fail to seal tightly, resulting in loss of resin through cracks in the parting line of the mold.
In our copending parent application, we disclose and claim a polyethylene composition having the consistency of putty which has found use as a sealant for the parting lines of molds used in rotational molding and as a plug which can be fused into molded arts to close holes or perforations in the walls of molded polyethylene parts. This product, however, has a solid consistency which resists extrusion, particularly at ambient temperatures.